North Launceston add a Victorian recruit to their 2017 TSL playing list

Phil Edwards2 Dec 2016, 7 p.m.

Following closely on the signing of former Western Storm forward-ruckman Bart McCulloch, North Launceston have added another big man to their 2017 State League list with Victorian recruit Lewis Hollmer joining the Bombers.

RECRUIT: Geelong League footballer Lewis Hollmer is joining the Bombers for the next State League season offering versatility to coach Tom Couch. Picture: Scott Gelston

Following closely on the signing of former Western Storm forward-ruckman Bart McCulloch, North Launceston have added another big man to their 2017 State League list with Victorian recruit Lewis Hollmer joining the Bombers.

The 26-year-old, 196cm forward-utility, hails from Lorne and has played the past two seasons with Geelong Football League powerhouse club Bell Park.

“I have played mainly as a target forward and back-up ruckman and I played with Tom (Couch) in the GFL,” Hollmer said.

“My partner got a job over here as a paramedic so I came with her and found out that Tom had the coaching job here so it was an easy choice.”

Hollmer played his junior football in Lorne and spent two seasons at under-18 level with the Geelong Falcons before settling on the GFL where he has played more than 100 senior games.

“I went back home and played with another club Lara with my brothers and won a flag down there and a couple of other awards so that was good,” he said.

“I’ve got a good engine I reckon so I can play anywhere – up forward, down back or on a wing.”

North Launceston coach Tom Couch said the addition of Hollmer to their playing squad was “very exciting.”

“Big fellows like Lewis don’t come around every day so he will complement Bart (McCulloch) really well,” he said..

“And more importantly he is just a great fellow to have around the club.”

“It’s good to get him involved too moving to a new state and hopefully we can help him settle in,” Couch said.

“I played with him in the Geelong League and he can play a bit of everywhere actually – in the ruck, forward, wing, he can actually go back so it is pretty exciting to have someone of that height.

“He is a really good runner – his family is full of good runners and he is no different.

“You can put him on a wing and he can take a mark and he is a really exciting player to have – there aren’t too many like that around.”

Couch said he wait until North get more pre-season training and some practice matches under their belt before deciding where he will play his newest recruit.

“We’ll see where the team is at and go from there.

“So far so good with the pre-season training – numbers have been really good and a really good bunch of kids coming to training and good intensity straight up.

“They’ve had a bit of a break with a couple of months off now and they have come back with the attitude to get something done before Christmas and then when we get back after Christmas things will step up again.”

Couch said that the signings of McCulloch and Hollmer would probably be the club’s two main recruits for the 2017 season.

“We were after quality not quantity – Lewis and Bart were the two we spoke about about a month ago when I accepted the role as the two we wanted to get and we’ve got that done so we’re pretty happy with the list.”